U.S. and Australian company CH4 Global is making waves with its first commercial sale of a seaweed-based product to help reduce methane emissions from ruminant animals.
Tell me more: Asparagopsis (not asparagus) is an important ingredient in CH4’s formulation. There’s this active ingredient called bromoform in the bovine gut that Asparagopsis is especially high in.
By disrupting the gut microbes, this special seaweed has shown an 80% reduction in cattle methane emissions when cows eat it, and with the CH4 formulation, up that to 90% with just .5% dry matter feed using Asparagopsis.
Must seek kelp: The supplement made by CH4, which is sourced from marine and tank cultivation, will be used in feedlots in Australia. The company that went seaweed shopping first is CirPro, an Australian protein manufacturer and meat processor.
Soundbite: “CirPro is excited to partner with CH4 Global for the first commercial supply of Asparagopsis seaweed-supplement in Australia. This marks an important milestone towards the goal of a carbon-neutral beef industry in Australia by systemically reducing, not just offsetting, emissions. It represents a win for the beef industry, a win for Australia, and a win for the planet.” — Roger Smyth, CirPro CEO
Where this goes: The company hopes to reach 150M cattle, or 10% of cows everywhere within the next five years.